Coupling for model railway vehicles and the like



' 2,4 3?? COUPLING FOR MODEL RAILWAY VEHICLES AND THE LIKE R E D m P tFiled April 5, 1943 in? W@ fiiwm 7120/14/45 PIA/DEF? Patented Oct. 8,1946 COUPLING FOR MODEL RAILWAY VEHIGLES AND THE LIKE Thomas Pind'er,Scarborough, England ApplicationAprii 5, 1943, Serial No. 481,921

In Great Britain April 22,1942

3 Claims.

This invention relates to couplings for model railway vehicles and thelike and has for its chief object to provide for the automatic couplingand uncoupling of model railway vehicles.

According to the invention, the automatic coupling and uncoupling ofmodel railway vehicles, car and lorry trailers or the like, is effectedby means comprising a lever supported approximately vertically on apivot in the coupling with suitable movement allowed in either directionfrom the centre.

The pivot centre is on the vehicle side of a gap or opening in thecoupling and below the level of the bottom of said gap, whether formedin one casting or by a suitable platform over which an inverted hookforms the necessary coupling arrangement.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, the same will now be more fully describedbythe aidof the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinalsectional view'of one construction of coupler embodying the invention,and showing a coupling member and link of an adjacent vehicle associatedtherewith.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a modified construction, andshowing a coupling member and link of an adjacent vehicle associatedtherewith.

Figure 4 is an end elevationof Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section taken through. line A--B of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of another modificationshowing a coupling member and link of an adjacent vehicle associatedtherewith, and Fig; 7 is an end view of Figure 6.

Like figures of reference indicate like parts throughout the views.

I represents the lever, 2 the coupling, 3 the nose of the coupling and 4theflgap platform in the coupling.

The inner part of platform d-rises to form stops 5 on either side of thelever I,v said stops being positioned in such a way relative to thelever I that a coupling link II carried by an adjacent vehicle comingagainst the stops, 5 may move the,

lever- I and an arm 6 thereon, butnot to the extent of causing the leverto fall into its rearward position. To hold the arm 6 in its, raisedposition towards the inner side of the pivot point I the lever I has tobe moved itsfull amount rearwardly and this is only efiected when asud.- den or sharp impact is ,made whereby the velocity imparted to thelever vI carries the centre of 2 gravity to the inner sideof the pivot Iand the, lever I comes to rest against a stop 8 asshown. in dottedlines, Figure 1.

The movement of the lever I raises the, arm. 6 to such a position thatits upper face forms an incline from the inner end of the .platform 4 toabove the top of the nose 3. V The coupling hook II is arranged so thatas it is withdrawn from the gap platform 4 it raises up thetupper faceof the arm 6 to just beyond the nose,3 when it contacts with the shapedend of the army 6, and forces it and the lever I to again change theircentre of. gravity to the outer side ofpivot I.

The arrangement, is such that the .force re quired to bringthe lever Ifrom its inner to the. outer centre of gravity, e. g. from the positionshown indotted lines to thatshown in fulllines, is greater than theweight of the coupling, link II carried by the adjacent, vehicle whenresting on the coupling. A coupling link Hat is carried by the vehiclecarrying the casting, 2 and is shown in. Figure 1 in its raised orout-of-way position by reason of it having been engaged and lifted by,the coupling link II on theapproaching vehicle to be thrown back, intothe position shown. in.the dotted lines.

Theaction of the coupler is a follows:

On two vehicles approaching each other, the coupling links II and. [lacome into contact, Ila, surmounting II so as to cause the latter tocontact with the nose end 3. of the platform 4 up,

which it. is forced to. fall onto, the platform 4- and the vehicles arecoupled.

The vehicles can then be pulledor pushed provided in the latter event,the movement is. C011]: menced gently.

Inorder to uncouple a vehicle a sharp push followed byapull is given,and. the coupling link. II contacting suddenly with. the tumbler-lever Ithrows it over to stop 8 lifting in the first case the'arm 6 which formsa bridge on which the coupling link rises-over-the hooked nose-3 sothatthe coupling link can slide along the platform-- beyondthe hooks range.

Further withdrawal of the coupling link con-' tacts with a projectionarranged on the tumbler lever arm which action forces the tumbler'leverover to its other stop, i'. e. into its position before coupling tookplace and the vehicles are uncoupled.

An alternative construction is shown in Figures 3 to 5 where a separateinverted hook 9 is used to'form the coupling hook.

The lever I with, the arm 6 is pivoted at! and due to its weight restson the bottom of the coupling or casing 2 through the extension l0.

An inverted hook 9 is also pivoted at 1 and at its inner end embracesthe lever I, the two ends coming outwards to form an inverted hook. Theinner end which connects the two sides is suitably cut away to allow thehook to lift without affecting the lever l but when the lever l movesinwards the inverted hook 9 is lifted up.

As shown in Figures 6 and 'l the inverted hook 9 may be integral withthe lever l and the arm 6. In this case the arm 6 must be arranged ofsuch a length relative to the hook 9 that a coupling book link II on anadjacent vehicle, coming up the ramp of the coupling or casing 2 haspassed the submerged end of the arm 6 before lifting the hook 9. Againwhen the hook 9 is lifted by a coupling hook it must not move the leverI so as to change its centre of gravity.

The action is similar to that of Figure 1, the engaging hook rising upthe sloping end of the casing 2 on to the platform 4 so as to raise theinverted hook 9 and passing under the same when the hook 9 falls andcloses the gap 4.

The vehicles are then coupled and provided any shunting of the coupledvehicles is commenced gently they remain coupled.

In order to uncouple the vehicles one is pushed sharply against theother, whereby theend of the opposing coupling hook strikes the lever land carries its centre of gravity to the inner side of the pivot I Whereit remains against the stop 8. This movement of the lever l raises boththe arm 5 and the inverted hook 9 so that on the withdrawal of thecoupling hook it passes under the hook 9 and later engages the shapedend of the arm 6 giving to this a motion about the pivot I so as tobring the lever I over into its original position resting on the stopl0.

The vehicles are now uncoupled and in a position to engage the nextcoupling hook that comes up the ramp of the coupling or casing 2.

Where the weights of vehicles vary considerably, such as form 4 mayslope upwards for the lighter vehicles so that a coupling hook will comein contact with the lever I a greater distance from its fulcrum thanwhen a horizontal platform is used so reducing the energy required touncouple.

To ensure a light vehicle coupler being engaged and not that of theadjoining heavy vehicle, the light vehicles coupling hook in the sectionthat contacts with the adjoining vehicles coupler hook when vehicles arecoming together, should be 'chamfered on its vertical face downwardsfrom the top so that an oncoming heavier coupler hook willpassunderneath and engage the light wagons coupler. With two wagons couplingit is immaterial which coupler is engaged.

I claim:

1. An automatic cou ling and uncoupling mechanism for railway vehiclescomprising a fixed couplin member arranged to detachably receive acoupling link of an adiacent vehicle; said coupling member having a gapplatform thereon, a substantially L-shaped lever pivoted on saidcoupling member. said lever having a normally vertically disposed armand a horizontal arm normally resting on the platform. said couplingmember having means engaging the vertical arm when the latter is movedrearwardly to limit the movement thereof, and said coupling memberhaving stops arranged to be engaged by the coupling hook link of theadjacent vehicle, the hook link of the adjacent vehicle, upon rearbogies and four wheelers, the platward movement of said hook link willrotate said vertically disposed arm about its pivot support to contactsaid rearward movement limiting means on said coupling member, saidrotation of said arm will cause the front portion of said horizontal armto be moved upwardly above said gap platform and said fixed couplingmember, said horizontal arm thus serving as a guide means for said hooklink to elevate said hook link above said coupling member during anuncoupling operation the parts being constructed and arranged so thatwhen two vehicles are coupled together and the hook link is movedsuddenly or sharply to impact against the vertical arm it moves thelatter rearwardly and the horizontal arm upwardly to allow withdrawal ofthe hook link from the coupling.

2. An automatic coupling and uncoupling mechanism for railway vehiclescomprising a fixed coupling member arranged to detachably receive acoupling link of an adjacent vehicle, said coupling member having a gapplatform thereon, a substantially L-shaped lever pivoted on saidcoupling member, said lever having a normally vertically disposed armand a horizontal arm normally resting on the platform, said couplingmember having means engaging the vertical arm when the latter is movedrearwardly to limit the movement thereof, said coupling member havingstops arranged to be engaged by the coupling hook link of the adjacentvehicle, the hook link of the adjacent vehicle, upon rearward movementof said hook link will rotate said vertically disposed arm about itspivot support to contact said rearward movement limiting means on saidcoupling member, said rotation of said arm will cause the front portionof said horizontal arm to be moved upwardly above said gap platform andsaid fixed coupling member, said horizontal arm thus serving as a guidemeans for said hook link to elevate said hook link above said couplingmember during an uncoupling operation and an inverted hook membermovably mounted on the coupling and coacting with the horizontal arm ofsaid lever for connecting the coupling link of the adjacent vehicle tothe coupling, the parts being constructed and arranged so that when twovehicles are coupled together and the hook link is moved suddenly orsharply to impact against the vertical arm it moves the latterrearwardly and the horizontal arm upwardly to allow withdrawal of thehook link from the coupling.

3. An automatic coupling and uncoupling mechanism for railway vehiclescomprising a fixed coupling member arranged to detachably receive acoupling link of an adjacent vehicle, said coupling member having a gapplatform thereon, a substantially L-shaped lever pivoted on saidcoupling member, said lever having a normally vertically disposed armand a horizontal arm normally resting on the platform, said couplingmember having means engaging the vertical arm when the latter is movedrearwardly to limit the movement thereof, said coupling member havingstops arranged to be engaged by the coupling hook link of the adjacentvehicle, the hook link of the adjacent vehicle, upon rearward movementof said-hook link will rotate said vertically disposed arm about itspivot support to contact said rearward movement limiting means on saidcoupling member, said rotation of said arm will cause the front portionof said horizontal arm to be moved upwardly above said 1 gap platformand said fixed coupling member,

said horizontal arm thus serving as a guide means for said book link toelevate said hook link above said coupling member during an uncouplingoperation and an inverted hook member extending from the vertical arm ofsaid lever and coacting with the horizontal arm thereof for connectingthe coupling link of the adjacent vehicle to the coupling, the partsbeing constructed and ar- 6 ranged so that when two vehicles are coupledtogether and the hook link is moved suddenly or sharply to impactagainst the vertical arm it moves the latter rearwardly and thehorizontal arm upwardly to allow withdrawal of the hook link from thecoupling.

T. FINDER.

